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Bambu Carbon X1C
My Bambu Carbon X1C arrived 2022-10-10, after preordering in August 2022. It is an incredible machine, far superior to anything I had before. It's not cheap (I paid $1300 iirc), but spare parts are very reasonably priced despite the closed ecosystem (not that closed, though; there are alternate firmwares, such as X1Plus, but I have not used them).
The X1 occupies an area of 389mm² and has a height of 457mm.
MQTT
The X1C makes an MQTT broker available on port 8883 (earlier firmware ran it on 1883, which is closed in recent firmware). Enable TLS, use the username bblp, and use the LAN mode password displayed on your Bambu. The information provided is pretty extensive. The # topic wildcard is supported, but the money topic is device/DEVID/report. Control of the Bambu is achieved via posting to device/DEVID/request.
Fan cables
The X1C uses a JST MX 1.25 connector for fans, not the standard PC fan connector. The cables are colored as follows:
| Color | Function |
|---|---|
| Black | Power (24V) |
| Dark gray | Ground |
| Light gray | Tach |
| White | PWM |
The auxiliary fan runs 3200 rpm at 24V.
Mods in use
All mods were printed on the X1C itself using Bambu's black ABS.
- 4x The SENATE AMS feeder button covers
- Build plate corner guide
- BentoBox 2.0 HEPA filter+charcoal+fan stack plus power cable cover
- 2x AMS desiccant trays
- 3x AMS desiccant boxes
- Hinged top glass riser
The AMS desiccant boxes and trays are great (and the hygrometer fits into the center one perfectly); with them in place, my AMS gets to about 10% humidity despite living in humid Atlanta (my condo at large tends towards 50%+). Every time you open the AMS, it will exchange air with the outside, and humidity will go back up, so keep it closed (and locked--there are two swiveling locks in the corners, easy to miss). Remember, your filaments will be absorbing that water along with your desiccants, and the desiccants aren't going to pull water out of the filaments; for that, you need active drying (I use a $40 food dehydrator, none of those fancy filament dryers, and the Carbon can dry filaments itself thanks to its heated enclosure).
The top glass riser is great for printing PLA, where you want some airflow but might not want to leave the front door hanging open.
The BentoBox is designed to filter out some of the VOCs generated when printing certain materials. It wants two 40mm fans, a HEPA filter, and activated acid-free charcoal (it is claimed that acidful charcoal will fuck up your printer; I don't know anything about it). I had several Delta 40mm screamers free I'd pulled from an Aruba switch (Noctua NF-A4s are not strong enough to effectively draw air through the tower, sadly). I tapped into the X1C's internal 24V using a spare post on the stock PSU. The fans are 12V, so I employed a LMS2596 buck converter to efficiently drop the voltage. The fans are enabled when chamber temperature hits 35C using a NO (normally open) thermistor. The BentoBox only serves to draw air through the filter and charcoal; it doesn't vent to the outside or anything.
Additions
- Bambu anti-vibration feet
- Bambu 4-in-1 PTFE adapter
- FYSETC PEI plate
- SILESS VIBRO 2mm sound deadening mat
- 3dMachinist's Power Tap Kit v1.3
The anti-vibration feet reduced noise and shaking significantly. Some people complain that they're not held in by anything other than friction, but my experience is that if you shove them in hard enough, there's no problem. A PEI plate kept clean will eliminate the glue necessitated by the stock cold plate. Spend the extra $10 for a plate that can be detected by the Carbon; my FYSTEC was $13. The SILESS material went along the bottom and sides.
The Power Tap Kit accepts a 6-pin AMS cable, and bridges it to a 6-pin AMS output plus a 24V female barreljack. This allows you to easily break out the 24V line for external power consumption. You could just cut the AMS cable, add two splitters, and solder/hotwrap everything back together, but this is a nice, clean PCB in an attractive box, for $9.
Major systems
These will both require some substantial printing.
Babo Duo
The Babo storage system is a modular set of drawers, risers, and inserts. I've got:
- Honeycomb riser for AMS and spool holder for same
- AMS adapter
- 2x Modul 30s
and numerous inserts. I printed in a mix of Atomic Filament Emerald Green PLA, Bambu Black AMS, and Overture Green TPU. The riser has two sides offering the honeycomb system for further extension; I have an external spool holder built into one side for filaments incompatible with the AMS (e.g. TPU).
AMS Hydra Pro
This replacement of the AMS innards allows one to use larger spools, along with other advantages.
